Congratulations, fspaflutist! You've won!

These are Franco Sarto boots. They have a leather foot and a suede upper. They are beautiful, in my opinion, and I won them yesterday on eBay for $19.99. It's true. (This is a fabulous price, by the way, for people who may not know... Mom... :)


I love eBay. But I would not classify myself as a casual shopper. I always go in with a specific item in mind, and when I find it, which I almost always have, it is such a gratifying experience. Here is a catalogue of my prizes from eBay.

• Eugene Goossens' Four Sketches for flute, violin, and piano (score and parts). This was my first purchase and it had all of the elements that made it a classic eBay victory. It was the only item of its kind available (indeed, this piece is out of print), I was pitted against another bidder, and the auction ended at midnight. I put in my initial bid and then two minutes later ran back to the computer to enter my highest bid, just in case the other person outbid me. For 2 days I watched as the other bidder would tentatively raise their bid only to be instantly outbid by me (automatically done by the computer) "Ha, ha, ha" I would laugh to myself as I tapped my fingers together. But then, the other bidder disappeared altogether. "Perhaps I scared her off!" I thought triumphantly. I started to develop paranoia, though, "where did she go? Is she waiting, silently, in the wings to try and pounce at the last minute?" My eyes, red from staring suspiciously at the computer screen, were tired and ached for sleep. And then, 3 minutes before the auction ended at midnight, there she was with another bid, only this time it was much higher. My heart started beating faster -- I really wanted this music -- and I typed in my bid. Shoot, typed it in wrong -- delete, delete -- entered it in again, press submit, YES! made it! Midnight, auction over and the music was mine!
• A pair of REALLY fantastic jeans that retail for well over $100 in exactly the size and style I wanted for $38.
• A second magical swimsuit (because this find was just too good to only own 1) for $9
• And now, these fabulous boots which I needed because I literally walked my old ones to death in Paris. What a romantic way to die. If you're a boot.... ah, Paris...

I've thought about trying to sell things on eBay, like my friend who even has her own store, but I think that's a little more than I can do. For now, I'll just stick to finding fabulous treasures that I can't live without.